


A is for Adoption

by amelia_petkova



Category: W.I.T.C.H.
Genre: Adoption, Fix-It, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-08-07
Updated: 2011-08-07
Packaged: 2017-10-22 09:02:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,731
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/236369
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/amelia_petkova/pseuds/amelia_petkova
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A fix-it fic for the “let’s not tell the evil princess who she really is” plotline.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A is for Adoption

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own W.I.T.C.H.
> 
> Spoilers through 1.14 “Parents' Night.”
> 
> Also, in this fic Cedric-as-bookseller has been referring to himself as “Rick” around Elyon instead of telling her his real name. You’ll see why later. I also can’t remember if it says exactly how old the main characters are during the series, so I’m going with thirteen unless I find out otherwise.

Elyon’s adoptive parents had done their research. When Eleanor and Thomas Brown adjusted to life outside Meridian, they found that the public library was a valuable resource: they could ask for information on any topic and nobody batted an eye. Before long they found out about the story time programs, which Elyon took to like a duck to water. On one visit, while looking for more information on child-rearing, they found something unexpected.

“ _Talking about Adoption_ ,” Elyon’s mother read. “Look, there’s a whole section on it.” She pulled “ _How to Handle Your Child’s Questions_ ” and “ _The Adoptive Family_ ” off of the shelf.

“I don’t like it.” Elyon’s father glanced at the toddler in question, who obliviously played with a pop-up book at their feet. “Better that she doesn’t know anything.”

“It can’t hurt to read about it.” Eleanor chose several titles, sliding them in between the books on nutrition and a copy of _The Very Hungry Caterpillar_.

They had another argument after reading the books when Elyon was asleep.

“All the books recommend telling the child at a young age,” Eleanor said.

Thomas rolled his eyes. “I don’t think any of the authors have been in the situation of hiding their child in another world because her position to the throne and magical abilities are a danger to her power-hungry brother. She’ll be safer if she doesn’t know.”

“Elyon’s going to start asking about grandparents someday. What do you suggest we tell her?”

“That they’re all dead?”

“I don’t think that will go over very well.”

“Fine, we tell her she’s adopted. But that’s it.”

Eleanor sighed. “I don’t like this any better than you. But as much as we wish, Elyon’s never going to be a normal girl. Phobos isn’t going to stop looking for her. She needs to be able to defend herself.”

“And just think, some parents only have to worry about boys and tattoos.” Thomas sighed.

#

When Elyon was three, her parents sat her down with a sippy cup of juice and a plate of cookies.

“Sweetie, we need to have a talk,” Thomas said. “You know that your mother and I love you more than anything else.”

Elyon nodded.

“You need to know that we are your adoptive parents. Do you know what that means?”

“No.”

“It means that I didn’t give birth to you,” Eleanor said. “Your birth mommy and daddy were in trouble and couldn’t keep you, so they asked us to take care of you. Do you understand?”

Elyon frowned. “I guess.”

“We can talk about it more later. You also need to know that you have a brother. But,” she added as Elyon’s eyes lit up, “you can’t see him.”

“Why not?”

“He’s not a good person. He’s done a lot of bad things and he wants to hurt you. That’s why we took you far away, so that you would be safe.”

Thomas lifted up the plate. “Cookie?”

#

They had to have The Talk, as her father called it, many more times. Elyon picked up the basic differences between adoptive and birth parents without too much trouble ( _Sesame Street_ helped). In the following years they revealed more information at predetermined times, so as not to overwhelm the little girl. Elyon was delighted to learn that she was a princess, although the family had to go through several plates of cookies before she understood that this was not the same as being a Disney Princess. The talk about magical powers came last, when she was old enough to learn self-control and resist temptation during Show and Tell at school.

“Can’t I tell Cornelia?” Elyon pleaded. The two had recently become best friends at Girl Scouts.

“You can’t tell _anybody_ ,” Eleanor said. “It’s to keep you safe.”

“What good is having a best friend if I have to keep secrets?” Elyon stomped out of the house. All of the windows simultaneously flew open.

“You watch that magic, young lady!”

Things settled down. They always did. Elyon became adept at using her powers and never revealed any of her secrets. Learning how to use her powers led to wanting to know about Meridian, which led to lessons in history and politics, warnings about Lord Cedric, and the five Guardians of the Veil although where and who they were, nobody knew, until she was extremely well-educated for a thirteen-year-old.

Some days she forgot about the whole secret identity altogether and was a normal teenager—that is, as normal as you can be when you are a girl who is the heir to a throne in another world and was spirited away as an infant by a non-human couple wearing a glamour, all because of your evil older brother.

#

“Dad, I’m in trouble,” Elyon said when she came home from school.

Thomas looked up from his crossword puzzle. “What’s wrong?”

“We just got our assignments for the projects that are going to be displayed at the Open House.”

“So?”

She flung down a role of paper. “I have to make a family tree.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah. Where’s Mom?”

“She had to stay late at work.” He rubbed his chin. “Okay, I have a solution.”

“What is it?”

“We’re going to lie.”

“Dad!”

“If you tell the truth not only will you be in danger, but the teacher will fail you. You’d better order a pizza for dinner because we’re going to be at this a while.”

“Since we’re making things up, can one of my ancestors be a pirate queen?” Elyon asked.

“No.”

#

The night of the Open House came. Elyon’s completely fake and unremarkable family tree hung next to those of her classmates. Her parents were on the other side of the room, talking with Principal Knickerbocker. She leaned against the wall and frowned; Cornelia had bailed on plans to hang out that afternoon again, along with the rest of their friends. Elyon wasn’t sure what was going on but she knew she didn’t like it.

“Hello, Elyon,” a voice said. Rick was standing next to her.

“Oh! Hi. What are you doing at a school’s Open House?” she asked.

“The teachers have bought so many textbooks from my store, your principal invited me to come and see what the school is like.” He examined her family tree. “A lot of your relatives have worked in the medical profession, I see.”

“It’s kind of a family tradition,” she lied.

“No siblings? Being an only child must be lonely.”

“I’ve never thought about it.” Elyon wanted to push him away. Talking with Rick in the bookstore had always been fun but here in the school something felt different. She wished that her parents would turn around and give her an excuse to leave.

“But just think how nice it would be to have a brother who could watch out for you,” Rick said.

“I’d rather have a sister.” Elyon was saying whatever popped into her head at this point. “Anyway, thanks for stopping by but I told my friends I’d meet up with them.”

Rick laughed. “I was sidetracked as well. What I originally meant to say was that you left your textbooks at the store yesterday and I wanted to return them. I left them on a bench outside; they were a bit heavy to carry around until I found you.”

“Oh, thanks! I totally forgot.” She followed him outside one of the building’s side doors, where her books were waiting as he had said.

Footsteps pounded behind them. “Elyon, don’t!”

She turned around and saw her parents.

“The two of you have interfered enough, I think,” Rick said. He turned to Elyon and lifted his hand. “See what your ‘parents’ really are, Elyon.”

The disguises melted away, revealing Elyon’s parents in all their green glory.

Elyon looked at her parents, then back at Rick. “So what’s your point?” she asked.

Rick looked taken aback but recovered. “These are not your real parents. They kidnapped you as a baby and took you away from your rightful home.”

“Well, duh. And it’s not kidnapping if I was handed over willingly. Just who do you think you are, anyway?”

“It’s Lord Cedric!” Thomas finally managed to say.

“ _What?_ ” But before Elyon had the chance to blast the fake bookseller, what appeared to be five overgrown pixies ran into the hallway from one of the empty classrooms. “Hold it right there, Cedric!” one of them shouted.

“You need to learn to stop meddling, Guardians,” he snarled. There was a blur of light and he turned into the giant lizard Elyon had been told about.

Elyon said, “So the current Guardians were here all along—wait a minute.” She looked beneath the glamour on the blonde one. “ _Cornelia?_ ”

Cornelia looked sheepish. “Um, surprise?”

Elyon recognized the rest of their friends. “What the…is this the reason why you keep acting weird lately?”

“Listen, I wanted to tell you,” Cornelia said.

“We were waiting for the right time,” Will interrupted.

“When’s the right time, after I go through an attempted kidnapping?” Elyon demanded.

“In any case, you’re all too late,” Cedric started to say.

Elyon and Cornelia turned on him. “Shut up!”

“It’s time you went back to Meridian,” Taranee said. A ball of fire appeared above her hand.

Cedric surged forward but Hay Lin blew him back with a gust of wind. Will opened a portal behind him.

“Here’s a message you can give to my brother!” Elyon blasted him through the opening. The portal closed.

She ran to her parents, now back in their human disguises. “Are you okay?”

“Yes. And we’re so proud of you, sweetheart.” Eleanor hugged her.

The Guardians returned to their normal appearances. “You have a lot of explaining to do,” Elyon said.

Irma held up her hands. “Before the cat fight starts, could we move this to the Silver Dragon? Fighting evil gives me an appetite.”

“Fine.” Elyon turned to her parents. “Can I go?”

“Be home by nine,” Thomas said.

“You may regret this,” Will warned her. “Now that you know what we’ve been doing, you’ll have to meet Blunk.”

“What’s a Blunk?”

“Don’t worry, you’ll smell him before you see him.”

And so they made their way to the Silver Dragon, the five Guardians of the Veil and the not-so-lost Princess of Meridian, where they would partake of food, have several arguments, and perhaps indulge in some showing off of magical powers.


End file.
